Camp leader, U Dewl P Zar, told Phophtaw Phophtaw News Association the shooting occurred near border gate 6.

“Yesterday at around 4:00 p.m., soldiers shot into the Pha Ye refugee camp. A four- year -old child was injured. One of the shells took out his right leg and another grazed his left hand.”

Burmese Infantry Battalion 77 attacked the camp with machine guns and fired 81 mm artillery, according to U Dewl P Zar.

“We are not exactly sure why they attacked us.”

But this is isn’t the first time government soldiers have harassed refugees in Pha Ye.  Last May, the government’s Pan War Battalion and Border Guard Force (BGF) entered the camp on three-occasions to pressure the refugees to relocate to the government controlled Pan War refugee camp, in Myanmar.

The refugees don’t want to move because the Pan War refugee camp is next to the government’s Infantry Battalion 77 base and is also close to a Kachin Independence Army (KIA) camp -  putting  them in the middle of the conflict zone.

BGF soldier, Za Khone Tate Yaine visited Pha Ye camp three times in July, to try to pressure the refugees to relocate. The last time he visited, in July, he brought several vehicles to move the residents. But they wouldn’t leave due to heavy fighting between government troops and KIA.